Live Report: The Bionic Rats kick off the weekend with a funky set at the Croí main stage

Dublin staple The Bionic Rats have started the weekend off strong with their signature flavour of dance-ready reggae-ska. As frontman Del Bionic declared to a ready crowd, “We’re Bionic Rats and we’re going to start the whole thing off!”

A refreshingly sunny midday had given way to a spotty Friday afternoon, and the sky had already returned to its usual state of grey as the band took to the stage. But it was almost as if the weather was respecting the Bionic Rats’ set, its infectious fiddle and horns playing the grey skies out.

The Bionic Rats are pretty well known for playing a good live set, and they absolutely lived up to that reputation today. Their music is as absurd as it is infectious, somehow managing to be very cool despite an unlikely lineup of fiddles, horns and a fedora-clad frontman. They fused reggae with elements of traditional Irish music for their genre-bending set, with songs whose themes were genuinely pretty political.

“This song is about genocide,” Del declared before they launched right into, 'Only One Crop Failed'. “That’s what happened. Don't you dare call it'Famine',” he continued. A grim intro that left me a little apprehensive about the tone of the song to come but the song itself was upbeat and as danceable as ever. I was irresistibly reminded of the late, great Sinead O’Connor as the song took the famine head-on, and people danced along despite the dark message encased in its lyrics.

Located in Electric Picnic’s Croí area, the Croí main stage is at the bottom of what I can only describe as a grassy pit. A celebration of all things Irish, the main stage is woodsy and its slightly secluded location gave the impression that the band and the audience were in their own separate world. Slightly sparse crowds quickly bulked up as people were drawn to the funky sounds of fiddle and saxophone. Festivalgoers of all ages jumped and grooved along to some of their more well-known songs like ‘Dear John’ and ‘Don’t Be Giving It All That’, as well as some deeper cuts like ‘Snakes’ (“we haven’t played that one in a long time”) and ‘Twisted Little Bitter Little Fucker’.

All in all, it was an extremely solid first act, one that sets a high bar for the acts to follow. They expertly toed the line between genuinely political and ridiculously fun, easily winning the crowd over. They were absolutely at home on the Croí main stage, understanding their duty of ushering in the weekend with a set that absolutely got people in the festival mood.

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